The World-Herald’s Statehouse reporters round up news highlights from the Legislature and state government into the Capitol Digest — a daily briefing for the political newshound with a busy schedule.
Griping and slowing down the passage of bills continued Monday morning with State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln leading the way, saying she was “sick to her stomach” that the Legislature seemed more intent on helping corporations than aiding those affected by COVID-19 or racial injustice.
She called fellow lawmakers “tone deaf” for not passing measures to direct more aid to those who lost jobs and face eviction, and instead focusing on a grand compromise to provide tax incentives for businesses and property tax relief.
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“We are moving forward as if we have no idea that an entire pandemic and an entire protest about justice went on,” Pansing Brooks said.
Sens. Ernie Chambers and Justin Wayne of Omaha joined in on the discussion that consumed the entire morning. Among their complaints: The Legislature should have passed a bill to place a moratorium on evictions and should pass tax cuts that help poor, urban residents.
It overshadowed discussion of a bill introduced by North Platte Sen. Mike Groene to provide a property tax break, for 10 years, for those who fix up old homes or buildings in blighted areas of counties of fewer than 100,000 people. The proposal appeared to have plenty of support but didn’t get a vote on first-round approval.
Elkhorn Sen. Lou Ann Linehan was among those who disputed that the state has done nothing to help those facing evictions or who lost their jobs because of COVID-19.
Much of the slowdown appeared to be an attempt to prevent a controversial abortion bill that failed to advance from first-round debate last week, from reappearing on the agenda during the session’s final six days.
Grand compromise
Monday passed without the release of a proposed “grand compromise” involving a trio of measures: property tax relief, tax breaks for business growth and state matching funds for the NExT Project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The Revenue Committee, which would have to advance the compromise, is expected to see a draft of the proposal Tuesday. It abandons any changes in the state’s formula for distributing state aid to K-12 schools and instead focuses on providing a tax credit on property taxes paid by farmers and homeowners.
Natural styles
Conservative senators took turns questioning and criticizing a bill that was up for final approval that seeks to prohibit racial discrimination based on a person’s hair texture or style.
Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha introduced Legislative Bill 1060, which drew supportive testimony from several Black women who said they lost their jobs after employers asked them to alter their hair. One woman said her employer quit scheduling her for work after she declined a request to apply chemicals to take the natural curls out of her hair.
Conservative senators, led by Steve Erdman of Bayard and John Lowe of Kearney, questioned whether such a bill was necessary and whether it restricted the rights of employers to have a grooming policy for safety or appearance purposes. Lowe said he quit a college job when his manager told him he had to shave off his beard. He said he refused, quit and found a better job, and suggested that other people do the same.
Cavanaugh said her proposal wasn’t a “feel-good bill” but an important change that clarifies state job discrimination laws. It won’t prevent an employer from adopting grooming standards, she said, but will allow someone whose hair texture or style is related to their race to use that to contest their firing, if they were being treated differently from other employees.
In the end, she received 34 votes — more than enough for passage — to return the bill to second-round debate for amendments suggested by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office as well as some colleagues.
Final OK
State lawmakers gave final approval to several bills before adjourning Monday, including:
LB 1080, which requires schools to adopt policies that prohibit “grooming” of current or recent student for a sexual relationship by a teacher or school staff member. Such grooming would be prohibited for a year after a student left school. The bill grew out of a series of stories by The World-Herald.
LB 1124, the Opioid Prevention and Treatment Act. It would establish a fund, financed by court settlements or any other source, that would be used to enhance treatment and education about opioid abuse. Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha got a round of applause as the bill won final approval. She has dedicated much of her legislative career, which ends this year because of term limits, to the problem of opioid abuse after losing her sister, Carrie, to an overdose.